RIvals' Roundup, Matchday #24: Well, at least Spurs lost.

Hey, so first things first: I'm done with the cutesy "what matchday is it" nonsense. It's not going to level out any time soon, and, more to the point, it puts a lot of pressure on yours truly to do the maths, and you just can't count on me for that [obligatory and desultory "ha"]. It's been one of those months, hasn't it? The weekend felt like being given a spoonful of castor oil and being told to lay on the couch, what with our result and various others not really going our way. Still, Spurs lost, so I almost feel like coining a new portmanteau (look it up, unwashed heathens) along the lines of spursenfreude, but that might mean something unsavory in the original German, so I'll demur for the time being. On we go, then. 

Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool: Player Ratings & MOTM Results

Well, we pulled no punches on the squad, much as the lads did pull theirs against Liverpool. Only Gabriel Martinelli seemed to make any kind of positive impression, garnering him MOTM honours. Between the disappointment of the loss itself and the relatively low opinion many have of the League Cup, we had only 378 votes for this poll. There's something about cup ties this season that brings out the worst in us. This may match our poor performance against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup (which ends up being worse by virtue of who we lost two). Let's hope we've gotten that kind of play out of our system, now that we're out of both cups and hope also that this is the kind of gut-punch that inspires a gut check and renewed determination in the Prem...

Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool: Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

A disappointing second-leg loss to Liverpool leaves us without any realistic chance at silverware this season, as Liverpool advance to face Chelsea in the League Cup final. Dioga Jota scuffed fortunately past Ramsdale to open the scoring, and, from there, we couldn't really find a way back, fluffing several chances. Jota then added a more-deserved second goal to confirm the result. It's a disappointing outcome, especially after a particularly brave performance in the first leg. In a nifty if difficult bit of symmetry, we were once again reduced to ten men against a superior oppponent as Thomas Partey saw a second yellow for a silly challenge in the waning minutes. Ah, well. For as nice as it might have been to advance to the final, defeating Chelsea was hardly a foregone conclusion, and the League Cup hardly blesses a club with any fringe benefits. More's the pity. Well, let's lick our wounds and re-double our focus on the Prem. For now, get in to the poll and rate the lads!

Rivals' Roundup, Matchday 23? A New Hope Awakens or is Dawning or...

Some clubs have played as few as 17 matches. Others, 23. Twixt the two are, well, predictably, clubs that have played—wait for it—18, 19, 20, 21, or 22 matches. And that, dear readers, is why your correspondent gets paid the big bucks. Hard-hitting, no holds barred investigative journalism. I highly doubt that you'll find this kind of fact-finding at El Metro, The Sun, or any number of birdcage-liner sites. At any rate, let's get down to the proverbial brass tacks. There's all sorts of goings-on to sort through.

Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal: Vote for Player Ratings & MOTM!

Gotta love the club at a time like this. Going into Anfield, the traveling fans were louder than the legendary Kop. Even after Xhaka did what Xhaka does—get a straight red for a foolish tackle, this time for kicking Jota in the chest just outside the area in the 24th minute—we looked resolute and determined, even better in spurts than our supposedly superior hosts. As one wage on Twitter put it, Xhaka's red was yet another false positive for Liverpool. I suspect that many of us including me assumed we'd lose this one, all the more so after losing Smith-Rowe, Tomiyasu, and Ødegaard. Going down to ten men just sealed the inevitable. However, we dug down and put on a fine performance and are very much alive for the second leg a week from today. Let's give the lads what they deserve!

Click here to open the poll. A results-graphic will be available tomorrow, but you can see running totals after you've voted.